Two Sides of a Phantom Coin
by quishaweasley
Summary: Dash meets with Phantom at the park, they'd been hanging out for a few weeks now. Phantom reveals just how stressed he is ghost fighting, and Dash reveals he knows more than Phantom thought. Possibly pre-swagger bishie.


Dash was on his way to the park. The sun was setting and it would be dark soon, but the air still held a bit of summer warmth. He was here to meet Phantom. They'd been hanging out together for a couple weeks now, mostly meeting at the park when most civilians were heading home.

As he crested the hill, a picnic table under some trees came into view. Phantom was floating over it, head thrown back as he tossed a ball of ectoplasm between his hands absentmindedly. Dash stopped and held back for a moment before calling out a greeting to Phantom.

"Hey."

Phantom looked up at Dash before letting the ecto blast disappear. One of the first times they met, Dash didn't give him proper warning and he almost got hit in the face.

He didn't want to relive that experience.

Dash walked the rest of the way to the table and sat on top of it with his feet on the bench, looking at the sunset. Phantom turned right side up and floated criss cross next to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Dash spoke up.

"Hey, Phantom, dude, are you okay? You seem kind of tense."

Phantom shrugged, picking at his gloves.

"Just life stuff, you know?

Dash nodded, still looking at Phantom. His white hair draped across his familiar features, hiding his face from view.

Dash cleared his throat before speaking up again. "Do you want to talk about any of the 'life stuff' you got going on?"

Phantom shrugged his shoulders again before looking at Dash.

"It's just… This hero stuff gets tiring. No one appreciates what I do, they don't think it really puts me in any danger. But I'm getting hunted both by ghosts and humans all the time… But I'm either some spook who doesn't feel emotion or I'm the cute ghost boy all the girls want to maul." He looked back down at his hands, squeezing them into fists.

"If it's that dangerous why don't you stop?"

"Because it's the right thing to do!" Phantom yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "If I don't, people are going to get hurt. Sure, there are other hunters but they don't have the advantages that I have. They can't go invisible, intangible. They don't have super healing. Their guns could jam and explode in their hands or run out of ammo." His hands fell back into his lap.

"I just wish I didn't have to do this sometimes."

They sat in silence for a bit again before Dash spoke again.

"Why are you so frustrated if it's the right thing to do?"

"Because no one cares about me! I get thrown into walls, through the pavement, into trees, and people like Paulina have the audacity to walk right up to me, _during a ghost attack_ , to gush over me. The Fentons always want to dissect me molecule by molecule. The red huntress wants to skin me. Just… no one cares."

There was a moment of silence, and then Dashed whispered.

"Sam and Tucker care about you."

The gaze Phantom shot Dash was filled with panic and fear. He started floating further away off the table, but before he could get far, Dash grabbed him by the hands. He tried to tug his hands free, forgetting he could go intangible in his panic.

"Danny."

At his name, Danny froze, looking at Dash, hands shaking. Slowly, he floated back towards the table, sitting on it this time. Dash let go of his hands, wrapping an arm around Danny's shoulders instead, leaning his head against the other boys.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dash whispered.

Dash could hear Danny sniffling, could feel him shaking.

"I haven't told anyone." Danny whispered. "Tucker and Sam were there when it happened and Jazz saw me transform once."

"Can I…" Dash paused for a moment. "Can I see you transform?"

Danny didn't move for a second, but then he pulled back from Dash's embrace. Suddenly, a white ring appeared around Danny's waist and traveled along his body to reveal Danny Fenton.

Danny hid his face behind his now black hair, staring at his hands that rested in his lap. Dash grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it. Danny looked up at Dash in mild shock before flinging his arms around his neck in an embrace.

"Thank you." Danny whispered.

Dash wrapped his arms around Danny, squeezing before loosening his grip.

"You're welcome."


End file.
